


Camping for three

by hopelessly_me



Category: Marvel
Genre: Camping, Language, Laying under the stars, M/M, NERVOUS CLINT, Polyamory, Shooting Star, This is why Steve isn't allowed to start fires, a small vacation, getting to know each other more, hopeful boys, laughing at Steve's expense, nervous Bucky, some kind of cuddling?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24858328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Clint plans a camping trip so he can try to learn a little bit more about Bucky and if a three-way relationship is something that can work for everyone.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Steve Rogers
Comments: 10
Kudos: 98
Collections: Reverse Prompt Challenge





	Camping for three

“Here ya go,” Steve said, walking around the truck as he got the tailgate down. He turned and Clint swatted his hands away.

“I can get up on a tailgate by myself, thank you. You don’t have to lift me,” Clint grumbled. He reached back and hoisted himself up, and because he was in a defiant mood he made sure to mask how much lifting himself up there hurt. “Ta-da.”

Steve almost looked impressed, mixed with a little bit of smug. “Had all the faith in you,” he said, stepping up to kiss him. “We’ll get camp set up in no time flat. Then we can do something fun. Maybe try out your hand at fishing.”

“Maybe Steve can rock the boat and tip us,” Bucky said, carrying the items that had been traveling in the backseat. “Come on. You stand there too long and it’ll be dark.”

“We have hours,” Steve protested, watching Bucky go. Clint smiled and watched him for a moment before he ducked his head. “Are you sure you are alright with this?” Steve asked, rubbing Clint’s knees.

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t,” Clint answered, looking back up at Steve with a smile. Steve was watching Clint’s eyes so Clint reached up and held his head. “Steve, honey, it’s fine. I agreed to try this three way relationship. And Bucky isn’t bad. Maybe a little gruff at times, rough around the edges still, but I like him well enough. Anyway- being out in the wilderness? What could go wrong? Aside from making a-”

“Don’t say it,” Steve groaned.

“I’m teasing.” Clint dropped his hands to Steve’s shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “I got over Bucky being an assassin months ago. I only brought three knives with me.”

“Pft, I brought seven,” Bucky said, walking up to the trunk and grabbing the parts of the tent. “Never too sure about a blond assassin and what they might do.”

Clint dared to fake a look of shock and offense. “Excuse me, but I wasn’t going to straight out tell Steve I brought seven knives too.”

Bucky got that small little smirk on his face, something that Clint secretly loved and wouldn’t dare tell Steve about, and he leaned against the truck. “Well hell, sugar. Armed up high five.”

“Gotta go left,” Clint said with a grin and held up his hand for Bucky to smack. “Armed up high five for the win.”

“For the win,” Bucky agreed. “Stevie, stop pesterin’ the guy and help me with camp. Clint’s a big boy. He can tell me to bug off if this isn’t workin’ for him without you askin’ him every two hours.” Bucky gave Steve a very pointed look before dragging out the poles. “Let’s go, Punk.”

“Yeah, alright,” Steve said.

“If nothing else, I get to watch you two flex,” Clint said cheerfully. Steve raised an eyebrow. “What? I’m allowed to look,  _ and _ technically touch, I’m just not allowed to lift.” He tapped his foot against Steve’s side. “Go on, boy scout. Build me a tent.”

Steve tilted his head then went about helping Bucky, and as promised, Clint watched them. He understood why Steve was anxious about the whole thing- in a way it made Clint anxious as well. Having Bucky back meant the world to Steve, and Clint could see the sparks the moment the two had embraced and backed off. He wasn’t delusional- Steve had admitted that Bucky and him had been a thing, something the historians didn’t even know. It seemed like those feelings had lingered on, which in a way was sweet.

Did this whole arrangement make Clint a nervous wreck? You bet it did. He knew Steve would never knowingly hurt him, but there were doubts on if he actually cared that deeply about Clint like he had Bucky. Hell, after seventy years of pining, although most of it had been in ice, Clint was pretty sure the guy had to be madly in love. But Clint wasn’t sure where exactly that left him.

Clint was the one who proposed a weekend trip. He wanted out of the Tower and to see how they could all handle camping together. In a way, this made it easier to get to know Bucky. There wasn’t the distraction of Avengers calls, training sessions, and therapy appointments. They couldn’t bond over their jobs or shooting in general. To Clint, this was the perfect way to see if maybe he could accept Bucky in fully, and see if Steve could split his attention easily between them.

So far, Clint was awfully glad that he scheduled this activity. Bucky was a better singer than what Clint had expected, and sometimes he would get lost in his voice. They harassed Steve until he stopped at a diner, mostly because it had a name that was a pun and Clint  _ and _ Bucky were both suckers for puns it seemed. And now- now he got to watch Steve and Bucky both bicker about how and where to put up a tent. At first Bucky was smirking, and then his face turned a little red, his brows furrowing. Steve however was smiling away and laughing, which only seemed to intensify Bucky’s incredulous look.

“Clint! Tell him he’s wrong!” Bucky said. Steve turned to look at Clint with a raised eyebrow.

“It needs to be moved into the shade more so we don’t bake,” Clint pointed out. “That tent will get extra hot otherwise. The flaps need to be pointed away from the wind direction so they don’t fly open, or worse, let water in.” Clint smiled a little bit before he leaned back. “Which Steve knows, he is just pulling your leg.”

Bucky poked at Steve. “Really?”

“Don’t blame me,” Steve said, raising his hands with that bright smile. “Even Clint likes it when you get worked up.”

“Hey! Don’t bring me into this!” Clint shouted before Bucky looked at him. And of course his body would betray his feelings about that look and his face turned warm.

“You like when I get all worked up, huh?” Bucky asked with just a hint of smugness before he walked towards Clint. Clint licked his lips then shrugged. “You know what I think?”

“What’s that?” Clint asked, leaning back and resting his hands on the truck bed behind him.

“I think we should finish up the tent together and let Steve collect firewood,” Bucky said.

“Why do I get the hard job?” Steve asked.

“Smedium,” Bucky and Clint both said.

“What?” Steve sounded a little breathless.

“You wear shirts that show off  _ everything _ ,” Clint said.

“Which means, it will  _ really _ cling when you get sweaty,” Bucky finished for Clint before he leaned up against the tailgate. “Anyway, you want Clint and I to spend quality time together. So we are going to finish putting up the tent and then we are going to sit by the lakeshore for a bit. Maybe fish. And then when you are done, we’ll all sit down and eat together.”

“Clint?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, I’m good with this plan,” Clint answered. “Have fun. Use them muscles.”

“You both are impossible,” Steve muttered before he took off.

“You think he enjoyed that a little too much?” Bucky asked, looking over at Clint.

“Mhh. Yes,” Clint said before he laughed. “You going to stop me from actually helping put up the tent?” He slid down off the tailgate and closed the hatch.

“Nah- you know your limits,” Bucky answered, walking back towards where camp was being set up. “If you do anything stupid, then maybe. But it’s just a bruised up shoulder. Impressively bruised up shoulder.”

“I’m a man of talent and skill,” Clint admitted through a grin.

Putting the tent up was easy, even if Clint had to do most of it one handed. It took exactly one wince for Bucky to shoot him a glare, and Clint wasn’t going to push his luck. Bucky might have been more flexible than Steve when it came to the injury department, but that didn’t mean that Bucky didn’t have some limit to how hard someone could push.

“Should we pull everything out of the truck? Get it set up inside?” Bucky asked.

“Nah. We can use me as an excuse not to get a lot done,” Clint said. “Let’s go down by the lake? Maybe cool off.”

Bucky nodded and walked, sticking close to Clint. Clint wasn’t exactly sure what to talk about himself, so he knew Bucky had to be in the same boat. It was new and awkward still for the both of them, and Clint had a feeling that Bucky wouldn’t have ever asked for this if Clint wasn’t the one who stepped in first.

“Pretty clean lake,” Bucky commented as they got closer.

“Imagine it frozen over and skipping rocks,” Clint added, stopping just short of the shoreline.

“You’re a winter fan?” Bucky asked, crossing his arms and putting weight on the leg away from Clint so he could pivot easier.

“Fuzzy socks and an excuse to stay under blankets all day?” Clint asked. “Yeah, I’m a fan of winter. I’m gonna guess you are like Cap- a fan of the summer. The cold probably doesn’t bring good memories.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Bucky agreed. “Although I guess I don’t mind watching the snow sometimes. Let me guess- you play in the shit.”

Clint got a large grin on his face. “All the snowmen, Barnes,” he answered. He kicked off his shoes and socks, putting them behind him before he shrugged off his shirt. “I’m a fan of summer too though.”

“Oh yeah?” Bucky asked, following suit.

“Guys topless,” Clint said and watched the way Bucky’s face turned red from the center out. “Ha! I knew I could do it if I tried hard enough.” He walked backwards into the water, ignoring the chill, just to keep an eye on Bucky.

“Smooth, Barton,” Bucky drawled, walking in. “Son of a- this is cold! How are you going in all casually?” he asked, and Clint was sure that Bucky was walking on his toes.

“Years of practice,” Clint responded. “It’s not that bad. Been in colder.” He waited for Bucky to catch up. “I’m glad we did this, that you agreed to it,” he said a little awkwardly. Bucky looked puzzled. “I just… getting to know someone in the Tower is a pain in the ass. We all have busy schedules and lives, and I thought it was going nowhere fast. So I thought maybe if I forced Steve into a vacation, pull you along, maybe we could, I dunno, talk.”

Bucky nodded once and Clint nearly winced when he saw Bucky putting his guards back up. “I meant it, what I said. You don’t want this, I will walk away. I’m not ruining what you and Steve have going. He’s happy with you.”

“Yeah, because he isn’t happy with you,” Clint laughed. “I’ll admit, it’s kinda weird. Never really pictured sharing someone once I found them.”

“Yeah, me either,” Bucky admitted, looking down.

Clint smiled and walked over, brushing against Bucky. “But hey- I always wanted a shorter boyfriend. And I’ve only got an inch on Steve so that doesn’t count.”

“You always wanted-” Bucky began to repeat before he laughed, his nose scrunching up. “I’m not that short.”

“You short and you know it,” Clint taunted. Bucky flashed him a look and turned. “Nope! You can’t tackle me into the water. Shoulder. I have an excuse for amnesty.”

Bucky’s jaw dropped. “You are a little shit.”

“Yes, yes I am,” Clint agreed. “Look, when I said we should talk I didn’t mean we should talk about you invading my space or something. I kinda meant talk about likes, dislikes, how Steve has the worst taste in shoes.”

Bucky slowly started to smile more. “Loafers. Always loafers.”

“And not the brands that are in style. Oh no. No, he has to find the off brand, looks like grandpa was trusted on his own look.” Bucky laughed again and tugged at his hair until he had it up and out of his face. “He tell you about the time he almost got seduced by a member of The Hand?”

“No,” Bucky said slowly. “He didn’t.”

“Oh, he so did,” Clint laughed. “It’s hilarious and embarrassing, and I still can’t believe he fell for it. Well, okay, so he was trying to figure out to let the person down easy, because Steve is absolutely terrible at telling people no.”

“Is that how you two ended up together?” Bucky said through a smirk.

“How dare you,” Clint gasped, kicking water up at Bucky, laughing. “I resemble that comment because hell yeah I used that to my advantage!” Clint went to kick up the water again and slipped.

“Woah there.” Bucky grabbed Clint’s left arm and pulled him steady. “Noted. Don’t get you excited because you will end up underwater.” Bucky dropped his hand after a moment and cleared his throat. “How did… I mean, if you don’t mind-”

“Nah, it’s not actually that good of a story,” Clint said, shrugging. “We had come home from a mission and everyone was off doing their thing. Steve and I were chilling on the couch and I looked over and asked if he wanted to go out for dinner. He asked if I was asking him out on a date, I said sure, why the hell not, and- yeah.”

“Really?” Bucky asked suspiciously. “That is it?”

“What can I say? I was tired as hell, Steve is hot as hell, and instead of making it weird for him, I went for it,” Clint explained. “It wasn’t something romantic or over the top. I guess we kind of both decided that maybe it would be worth it.”

Bucky nodded and looked out across the lake. Clint shifted his weight and rubbed his arm. “You want to know the moment I asked Steve about you?” Clint asked. Bucky looked over and Clint could pick up on his nerves. “It was after some news conference and you just looked… forlorn. You were still new to everything, still taking a beating because of the whole HYDRA shit. And I saw Steve catch up to you, put an arm around you and say something I didn’t catch and you both just looked relieved to have each other. I guess I kinda thought that you deserved something good in your life, and that one good thing for you was always Steve. I figured I could learn to make this work if Steve wanted to learn how to make it work, because I dunno- I guess if it were me, and the world was coming down on me, I would have wanted someone to look at me the way Steve looked at you.”

“You know how worried he is about this?” Bucky asked after a minute.

“Yeah, I know,” Clint answered. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s because he doesn’t want to lose me or if-”

“It's because he doesn’t want to lose you and no other reason,” Bucky said with a bit of a growl that startled Clint. “I know it’s not my place to, we don’t really know each other enough for it. But hell, Clint. The guy loves you.”

“I'm going to go with loves us, if that’s not too weird to say,” Clint said, biting his lip.

Bucky opened his mouth then closed it. He sniffed and turned. “You smell that?” he asked. “... oh  _ shit _ .”

“What?” Clint asked before he looked back and saw a cloud of smoke. “Oh shit!”

Bucky and Clint both ran back to camp and watched Steve as he frantically was putting out the fire that had engulfed their tent. Bucky and Clint kicked down the poles and started smothering out the flames.

“What the hell happened?” Bucky asked, his voice coming out harsher than Clint had expected.

“I think I used too much accelerant,” Steve explained.

“You  _ think _ ?” Bucky asked. Clint helped for a bit before 

Clint looked up before he busted out laughing. Steve was covered in soot, and he was pretty sure his eyebrows were mostly gone; some of his hair looked fried to hell. Steve looked over at Clint, and if it weren’t for the soot, Clint was sure there was a blush hiding there somewhere. Steve shifted his weight.

“Well… now tent camping is going to be impossible,” Bucky sighed, getting everything under control. “Guess we’ll just have to pack it up and-”

“I’ve got an idea,” Clint said, pulling his phone out. “Not supposed to be a cloud in the sky tonight. You didn’t unload the truck, did you?”

“No?” Steve answered.

Clint grinned. “Then I’ve got a plan.”

“So basically, whenever a Hawkeye states that they have a plan- it’s never a good plan,” Steve explained to Bucky.

“Hey, this was a great plan!” Clint protested.

“Your feet are in my face,” Bucky said dryly.

“All I am hearing is a lot of crying and not enough thanking me,” Clint answered, looking up at the stars.

Clint felt a hand on his ankle and he looked down at Bucky. “I will give it to you. Air mattress in the bed of a truck- I didn’t think of that. And… in it’s own way, it is a good idea. Look at all the stars.”

Clint watched the embers float up towards the sky, dancing with the stars, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He folded his arms behind his head and took a deep, cleansing breath. He glanced down when he felt another hand on his leg and looked at Steve, giving him a smile before looking up.

“So how did you come up with this one on the fly?” Steve asked. “There has got to be a story.”

“Did this a lot when I was a teen,” Clint answered. “Circus and all. Sleeping under the same tiny roof with my brother was a treat. So on the warm nights when it wasn’t supposed to rain I would drag my shit of a mattress out to the truck, stuff it in the bed, and fall asleep to the sounds of drunks and frogs.”

“You weren’t shitting me about the circus?” Bucky asked.

“No, he really was in the circus,” Steve answered before Bucky could. “You know how he likes to whine and cry about stretching before practice? This asshole is more flexible than he lets on. He doesn’t do it often, but sometimes I’ll walk in on him doing yoga, or trying to do old contortionist tricks. He’s graceful for a guy who ends up in the dumpster a lot.”

“Why do I date you again?” Clint asked, not taking his eyes off the stars.

Steve chuckled and rubbed Clint’s leg. “I honestly have no idea, but I am glad you are.”

“I am too.” Clint tilted his head and looked at Bucky. Bucky gave him a small smile before he looked back up. “So- know you any constellations?”

“Uh- kinda but not really?” Clint answered.

Bucky started explaining all the stars in the sky, his voice low and soothing. Clint listened in awe for a bit before he could feel himself drifting off. Maybe it was nerve wracking, trying something new and learning how to trust someone. Learning to trust two people in a relationship was somehow even harder. But Clint was beginning to think he had made the best leap of faith he had ever made in his life.

The last thing Clint could remember seeing before he closed his eyes was a shooting star track across the night sky, and he made a wish, and only time would tell if it would come true.


End file.
